Emirates Airlines Pest Analysis Tourism Essay

Emirates Airlines Pest Analysis Tourism Essay In 1985 Emirates Airlines was established by Dubai Government with just two aircrafts. Today Emirates has 83 aircrafts files to 78 destinations in 55 countries worldwide. It has a large number of cabin crews from 95 nationalities. It recently made an aircraft orders worth more than $ 26 billion for 45 Airbus A380, which makes the company the worlds largest purchaser of Airbuss super-jumbo. (About Emirates) Emirates Airlines recently becomes one of the fastest growing airlines and the fifth-most-profitable airline in the world. It has been growing by more than 20% a year since the last 17 years making a profit of $637 million in 2004-05. (BBC News) Emirates Airlines is committed to achieve its mission, namely offering consistently high-quality value-for-money service and to be the best airline on all of its routes. Accordingly, it is known as an innovative and customer-oriented provider of advanced services, such as offering personal entertainment system in all classes, 18 TV channels, 22 audio channels and online booking service which enables customers to book, search for flights and choose seats. (About Emirates) Because of that excellence, it gained over 280 international awards, such as the prestigious CAPA airline of the year award 2005 by the Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation. The airline industry is affected by political situations, namely wars and terrorism. For instance, terrorists activities in different areas globally, namely USA (11th Sep), UK, Lebanon and Qatar made the regions unattractive for tourists and business travellers and reduce the passengers traffic. The political instability affected businesses between airlines in Middle East and the world by facing a difficulty to join any international alliances with any of the airlines leaders such as American Airlines. (Growth phenomena, Nora Byman) Economical factors One of the factors behind any success airlines is having modern airports supported with latest technology to meet customers requirements. UAE for example plans to invest in developing its main airports in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The UAEs total investments on airport development over coming 20 years will exceed Dh 71 billion. The benefits of developing airports are: enhancing economy, reducing depends on oil revenues by moving into new sector (tourism), increasing tourists number and thereby driving profits to airline firms. Globally, alliance is considered as the main factor of many airlines companies success as it reduces the operation costs. Social factors Some of those factors are: increasing worlds population, tourists and number of educated people. For instance, the population is growing globally, in UAE the population in 2002 was 3,754,000 people and reached to 4,320,000 in 2004, this is because UAE is a multicultural country. As the number of expatriates is increasing, airlines firms profits will increase, because those expatriates need to travel to their homeland sometime. Additionally, many diseases influence the population in many courtiers, like Bird Flu, those killer diseases affect airline industry since they reduce populations level. (Economic Development) Technological factors The new technology affected airline industry negatively and positively. For example, the technology of teleconferencing reduced the need for face to face business meetings which affects on the number of business travellers and on the sales of business tickets. However, e-booking system makes the reservation easier and save many expenses such as reducing the printed tickets. (Current State) There is a growth in internet usage worldwide. In the UAE, internet accounts are likely to grow from 251,000 in 2001 to exceed 600,000 accounts by 2006. Thus, local airlines industry should provide online services to get competitive advantage ex. Emirates Airline. (UAE to remain on top in Arab Internet market) Internal Environment SWOT analysis Strengths Member of the Arab alliance, known as Arab Air Carriers Organization promoting cooperation, safety standards among Arab airlines (Arab Air). First airline in Arab World that offers online booking service. Offering long-haul flights, like from US to Dubai. Offering self check-in service for customers at Dubai airport (Emirates expands). At Dubai Air Show 2005, Emirates made an aircraft order of 45 Airbus by 2012 making it the worlds largest purchaser of Airbuss super-jumbo. Providing employees with training, rewards and performance programs, thus reducing labour costs and increasing employees loyalty (People). An official sponsor of 2006 Fifa World Cup, which will increase its brand awareness. It has its own Frequent Flyer Program known as Skywards Miles that shared with Sri Lankan Airways. It has recently chosen Dexterra Mobile Platform to enable front-office mobile solutions that will enhance customer service interaction (Unisys). It offers training service to other airlines in Middle East which increase its profit. Weaknesses High Operation costs due to huge investment on buying aircrafts and implementing new technologies. Known of its high prices of tickets comparing to other airlines. Not a member of any global alliances (UAE). It doesnt have a hub in Abu Dhabi airport (capital of the UAE). Young airline that was established in 1985 Opportunities The income per capita is growing in UAE. Lots of investments will be made by the government of UAE for developing main airports in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. There is an overall growth in the population of the world and in UAE. World Travel Tourism Council forecasts that there will be an annual growth in the number of UAE tourists. There is an expected growth in internet users worldwide and in UAE. Aviation events such as Dubai Air Show promotes for Middle East airlines among other participates worldwide airlines and show the growing of aviation industry in Middle East. Threats It is located in politically instable region and the terrorism activities have been increased in Middle East recently. Increase of aviation security costs and insurance which increase the operational costs of airlines. The increase of the fuel prices which raise the operational costs. The airline industry might face losses of around $ 3 billion if the oil prices did not reduce (IATA). New entrants and the raise of low cost airlines. The e-ticking system can be abuse by the hackers or it might be crashed by viruses, this will damage the company database and will cost a lot of money. Passengers can be a threat to the company, as they have a strong power in the airline industry. The natural crises such as the earthquake and hurricane. As mentioned by Al-Arabia channel, Dubai is threatened by an earthquake (2005). This will affect the tourism in this region, which will reflect in the Emirates airline. There is a possibility of rapid spread of new acute diseases such as SARS and Bird Flue that affect tourism and airlines. Strategic planning models There is no one perfect strategic planning model for each organization. Each organization ends up developing its own nature and model of strategic planning, often by selecting a model and modifying it as they go along in developing their own planning process. The following models provide a range of alternatives from which organizations might select an approach and begin to develop their own strategic planning process. An organization might choose to integrate the models, e.g., using a scenario model to creatively identify strategic issues and goals, and then an issues-based model to carefully strategize to address the issues and reach the goals. The following models include: basic strategic planning, issue-based (or goal-based), alignment, scenario, and organic planning. Model One Basic Strategic Planning This very basic process is typically followed by organizations that are extremely small, busy, and have not done much strategic planning before. The process might be implemented in year one of the nonprofits to get a sense of how planning is conducted, and then embellished in later years with more planning phases and activities to ensure well-rounded direction for the nonprofits. Planning is usually carried out by top-level management. The basic strategic planning process includes: Identify firms purpose (mission statement) Select the goals your organization must reach if it is to accomplish your mission Identify specific approaches or strategies that must be implemented to reach each goal Identify specific action plans to implement each strategy Monitor and update the plan Model Two Issue-Based (or Goal-Based) Planning Organizations that begin with the basic planning approach described above, often evolve to using this more comprehensive and more effective type of planning. Organizations that begin with the basic planning approach described above often evolve to using this more comprehensive and more effective type of planning. Summary of Issue-Based (or Goal-Based) Strategic Planning (Note that an organization may not do all of the following activities every year.) External/internal assessment to identify SWOT (Strengths and Weaknesses and Opportunities and Threats) Strategic analysis to identify and prioritize major issues/goals Design major strategies (or programs) to address issues/goals Design/update vision, mission and values(some organizations may do this first in planning) Establish action plans (objectives, resource needs, roles and responsibilities for implementation) Record issues, goals, strategies/programs, updated mission and vision, and action plans in a Strategic Plan document, and attach SWOT, etc. Develop the yearly Operating Plan document(from year one of the multi-year strategic plan) Develop and authorize Budget for year one(allocation of funds needed to fund year one) Conduct the organizations year-one operations Monitor/review/evaluate/update Strategic Plan document. Model Three Alignment Model The overall purpose of the model is to ensure strong alignment among the organizations mission and its resources to effectively operate the organization. This model is useful for organizations that need to fine-tune strategies or find out why they are not working. An organization might also choose this model if it is experiencing a large number of issues around internal efficiencies. Overall steps include: The planning group outlines the organizations mission, programs, resources, and needed support. Identify whats working well and what needs adjustment. Identify how these adjustments Model Four Scenario Planning This approach might be used in conjunction with other models to ensure planners truly undertake strategic thinking. The model may be useful, particularly in identifying strategic issues and goals. Select several external forces and imagine related changes which might influence the organization, e.g., change in regulations, demographic changes, etc. Scanning the newspaper for key headlines often suggests potential changes that might affect the organization. For each change in a force, discuss three different future organizational scenarios (including best case, worst case, and OK/reasonable case) which might arise with the organization as a result of each change. Reviewing the worst-case scenario often provokes strong motivation to change the organization. Suggest what the organization might do, or potential strategies, in each of the three scenarios to respond to each change. Planners soon detect common considerations or strategies that must be addressed to respond to possible external changes. Select the most likely external changes to effect the organization, e.g., over the next three to five years, and identify the most reasonable strategies the organization can undertake to respond to the change. Model Five Organic (or Self-Organizing) Planning Traditional strategic planning processes are sometimes considered mechanistic or linear, i.e., theyre rather general-to-specific or cause-and-effect in nature. For example, the processes often begin by conducting a broad assessment of the external and internal environments of the organization, conducting a strategic analysis (SWOT analysis), narrowing down to identifying and prioritizing issues, and then developing specific strategies to address the specific issues. Another view of planning is similar to the development of an organism, i.e., an organic, self-organizing process. Certain cultures, e.g., Native American Indians, might prefer unfolding and naturalistic organic planning processes more than the traditional mechanistic, linear processes. Self-organizing requires continual reference to common values, dialoguing around these values, and continued shared reflection around the systems current processes. General steps include: Clarify and articulate the organizations cultural values. Use dialogue and story-boarding techniques. Articulate the groups vision for the organization. Use dialogue and story-boarding techniques. On an ongoing basis, e.g., once every quarter, dialogue about what processes are needed to arrive at the vision and what the group is going to do now about those processes. Continually remind yourself and others that this type of naturalistic planning is never really over with, and that, rather, the group needs to learn to conduct its own values clarification, dialogue/reflection, and process updates. Be very, very patient. Focus on learning and less on method. Ask the group to reflect on how the organization will portray its strategic plans to stakeholders, etc., who often expect the mechanistic, linear plan formats. Managing risk Risk management is a process used to avoid, reduce or control risks. Some risks can be insured against, others cannot. Organisations deal with their insurable risks but can be applied to all risks. Ignoring the risks which apply to hospitality and tourism business activities or the events business have planned could impact on the following: the health and safety of employees, customers, volunteers and participants reputation, credibility and status public and customer confidence in the organisation financial position plant, equipment and the environment A systematic approach to managing risk is now regarded as good management Practice. Following is the best example from International Hilton Group (IHG). Process and framework IHG has an established risk management process and framework embedded in all regions. The long-term strategic goals are aligned with the IHG core purpose Great Hotels Guests Love and include these key elements: safety and security of guests, employees and other third parties brand strength supported by operational excellence in risk management at all hotels and corporate locations Maintenance and promotion of the reputation of the Company. Our approach has been to enable and support hotel owners, staff and corporate functions to manage risk effectively. This is accomplished by giving them a systematic approach and framework to follow and by providing them with tools to do the job. The Risk Management function aims to share specialist knowledge and capability globally. Safety and security in hotels A strategic framework for hotel safety and security has been designed for owned and managed hotels and is illustrated below showing the identified groups of risks and describing the management activities carried out to mitigate the risks. The red wheel illustrates the groups of risks which IHGs risk managers around the world work on with IHG general managers and their management teams in order to minimise the risks and keep the hotels safe. Over the years we have developed risk management strategies to assess and treat individual types of risk. This has involved developing policies, standards and guidelines, raising awareness levels, training staff on the controls and systems which have been developed for their use and reviewing and reporting upon progress and continued risks. These management activities are represented by the purple wheel.Hotel safety framework Security risks, particularly the threat of terrorism, have increased. In recent years, IHG has developed an increasingly sophisticated response that is intelligence-led and risk-based. The security risk environment is highly dynamic and needs to be managed both centrally and locally in hotels. In common with all risk strategies, there are three elements that must be developed and maintained: physical and technical systems, people capabilities and processes and procedures. Corporate risk management The management activities shown above are being adapted and applied to manage corporate risks. This initiative is led by the Executive Committee, facilitated by the Risk Management function and integrated with quarterly strategic reviews. IHGs Risk Management function has recently reviewed the way in which corporate risk and the major risks to IHG are managed and are seeking to develop a framework to improve risk management capability further, represented diagrammatically below:Corporate risk management Each year, risk identification workshops are run with the senior IHG management. The output is a Group Risk Register, divided into areas of accountability for each member of the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee uses the findings to identify the major areas of risk for IHG and to assign accountability for cross-functional leadership between them. The Executive Committee prioritises and co-ordinates efforts to optimise the management of major risks to IHG. Risk owners then identify existing controls as well as the ability, benefit and cost to improve them. This work is documented in Risk Action Plans that support the risks that are reported in the Group Risk Register. Executives review the risks at quarterly strategic reviews as part of their business review with the Chief Executive and strategy team. Global Risk Management also submits periodic incident reports and two major reports each year to the Executive Committee and the Board on hotel safety and security as well as a further report on the major risks to IHG. The Internal Audit function is separately responsible for providing assurance across the Group. They report their findings to the Audit Committee. This ensures separation of duties between the Risk Management and Internal Audit functions and hence supports good governance. The Board is ultimately responsible for the Groups system of internal control and risk management and for reviewing its effectiveness. In order to discharge that responsibility, in 2008 the Board considered the most recent Major Risk Review which involved extensive consultation throughout the business. Strategy and ethics The hospitality industry is made up of many companies who are run by business people. Business people who put short-term profits ahead of concern for the long-term health of the company or who make additional profits by failing to spend the money necessary to handle toxic waste or pollution resulting from the manufacturing process, are not professionals and harm the reputation of the industry as a profession . The scandalous behaviour of some business leaders in the past decade has damaged the reputation of business with the community. The former what is good for business is good for the country has been replaced with a virulent distrust of big business. Corporate social responsibility requires organizations to demonstrate responsible business conduct that does no harm in the marketplace, in the workplace, in the community they operate in, and to the natural environment. The actions of business impact the local, national, and global community, so businesses have a responsibility to ensure that the impact is positive. Corporate Social Responsibility also involves achieving commercial success in ways that honour ethical values and respect people, communities, and the natural environment. There is no universally accepted definition of CSR, but most of the definitions have to do with business having a positive impact on the community and meeting or exceeding public expectations of good corporate citizenship. Ethics in Tourism   Ethical principals apply to all individuals, communities and societies; they also apply to all the bodies in tourism in their respective specific roles. This entails both rights and responsibilities. Concrete and specific ethical standards for behaviour and practises in tourism must follow the broad principles as outlined here. Solidarity with those who are directly and strongly affected by tourism and who suffer from unjust structures connected with tourism, and solidarity with those who need material or political and philosophical support in defending their interests and rights which are threatened by tourism development or which are ignored in decision making processes; Justice in a world tourism order, an aim which intends to change all structures of injustice that exists in the fields of economics, politics, social and cultural life; Respect of diversity in the various areas of life societies, environment, cultures, religions and politics which calls for sensitivity to difference and the practice of tolerance. Authentic information for all people involved or interested in tourism. Such authentic information is a basic need for a just world tourism order. This places a particular responsibility on the media to be objective, fair and truthful when reporting on tourism. Professionals engaged in tourism education should also promote need for authentic research and information to develop sensitised and aware personnel in tourism. In order to improve the present situation in tourism and to minimize its negative impacts, firms must urge all (nation) those involved to contribute the best of their knowledge, abilities, and skills towards a tourism that is in line with these ethical principles. The tourists board must involve the governments, other public authorities, decision makers and professionals in the field of tourism, public and private associations and institutions whose activities are related to tourism, tourists and local communities to adopt the realistic principles and work towards the mutual objectives. Strategic VS operational conflicts Just like any other business, Tourism Business planning always have a strategic and an operational element to position the strategies. In order to make the intangible and highly sensitive industry firms must be able to balance the different roles and utilize strategic and operational plans. A Strategic Plan is an organizations summary of the development process and the presentation of core directions An Operational Plan is an annual work plan explaining how the goals of the strategic plan will be implemented and what budget and processes are required. Strategic planning helps the organisation to pull back the lens, get a big picture view and consider future scenarios. It gives you the best opportunity to maintain control, avoid serious pitfalls and capture opportunities. Thinking strategically about business involves creating a vision for where you want to be in 2, 5 or 10 years, Strategic planning is not just for big companies and has benefits no matter what the goals. The defined goals might include increasing the sales or market share. Goals may also include environmental and sustainability targets or to sell the business. Operational planning focuses tightly on the day to day operations with no more than a 12 month cycle. Depending on the farms activities, the manager might want to further break things down to daily, weekly, monthly or seasonal active. Operational planning focuses on adjusting and developing controls, increasing efficiencies and reducing time and investment. Conclusion and Recommendation The airline industry is a huge market as there are 900 airlines companies internationally with total of nearly 22,000 aircrafts, nevertheless it has a low growth rates as it is in its mature stage of life cycle. (The economic social benefits of air transport). For any new entry the airline industry is considered to be unattractive, because the demand is low, the competition is strong and the operation costs are increasing. However, for Emirates Airlines it is attractive as its strategy and market position creates a good defence against its competitor. For example, it created a strong brand name and customer loyalty in the market by implementing the latest technologies in its services to be positioned as a pioneer in the airline field. It also achieves high profits yearly as it focuses proficiently to enhance its market position by differentiating in its strategies that would be used to attract customers such as flyer frequent program. Also, it has many chances to overcome with all the obstacles that might occur and affect the airline industry such as political or economical problems, etc. as it is a member in Emirates Group which enables sharing resources and reducing the companys expenses, thus leading the company to protect its position in the market. Overall, Emirates has a great market position plus its a profitable airline which is measured as a competitive advantage, since it has the opportunity to compete and expand its business to gain higher profits. Emirates Airlines adopts differentiation generic strategy to gain a competitive advantage amongst its competitors by offering the highest quality services in order to be the best company in the market and differentiates from its competitors. For example, Emirates airlines was the first airline that offered TV screen for all aircrafts classes. Also it was the first company in the Middle East to serve the e-ticketing. In addition, it gained a competitive advantage by focusing in new segments in the market. For instance, it provides another airline companies such as Qatar Airways with training courses by using the most modern machines, called plane simulator to be the only company in the Middle East that offers such service. The aim of such changes is to be the leader in industry by increasing the brand name awareness regionally and internationally which will increase the demand and the profit as well. As the Airline industry is in the maturity stage, there is a strong competition between airline firms. Each firm should use offensive strategies besides doing analysis for internal and external factors that may affect its position. The research and analysis for Emirates airlines address following recommendations: The operational cost is increasing due to huge investments of Emirates on aircrafts and services and increase in fuel prices. Emirates should reduce the costs by making operational improvements, namely improving maintenance processes, maintaining high aircraft utilization and making effective flight scheduling. It could also be reduced by investing technology in distribution channels to reduce labour costs. In response to the threat of low cost airlines, Emirates shouldnt lower its fares after years of offering advanced services, instead it has to offer new low cost brand as a subsidiary of Emirates group serving economic travellers who are now customers of new low cost airlines, thus expanding the market share. Extending routes is recommended especially there is a growth in tourism UAE. There are main regions in the world that Emirates do not have routes in, namely Canada, It has to extend destinations worldwide (especially attractive areas). Joining a global alliance enables increasing its destinations, offering more fare options for customers helping to solve problems of new low cost airline. Investigating technology is recommended for improving customer service and Emirates has to sign contract with an e-business company that offers airlines technology solutions. Generally, Emirates should do analysis for internal and external factors and its competitors and develop new strategies to stay competitive in the maturity stage.

Food Nation Essay

Food connotes more than just an intake to be able to sustain life. It is a reflection of a myriad of culture existing in a society. Looking at food, one can see its various fusions of cultural identities prepared to satisfy one’s appetite. Food is a perfect example of a world that enters into the process of globalization where nations embrace the flow of cultural exchange. Countries such as the United States and Italy are known for having diverse demographics. The diversity of its population brought influences into their food as well. However, although both countries may have fused each other’s culture into their food, there are still differences which make them distinct from each other such as how they handle and view food. The United States is one of the largest countries when it comes to its size and population. It has a wide variety of immigrants which flowed starting from the nineteenth century and as its population continues to grow, its culture has been as dynamic as its food (Counihan, 2002, p. 26). Large part of these immigrants later joined the American workforce as every parent became employed. The absence of either the mother or the father at home veered the majority of the population away from home-cooked meals. Eating out became an alternative for families to have their meals together and eating out means buying food from a restaurant (Schlosser, 2001, p. 4). From this concept of eating outside the confines of a home, the fast food world was born. The term â€Å"fast-food† refers to a speedy availability of food, further described as a â€Å"provision of limited, standard menu with quick service† (Royle & Towers, 2002, p. 190). Fast food became not just a way to fill skipped meals at home but it turned out to be a lifestyle. The United States initially became known for its fast food because of the rise of popular food chains such as McDonald’s and Burger King. Its convenience of having ready-made food suits the lifestyle of people especially those who go to work early and go home late. Since there are a large number of working people in the United States, they flock to these restaurants to eat. Foods are being prepared in bulks to anticipate the huge numbers of customers. Most ingredients provided are delivered frozen. Cooking methods involved one or a couple of processes to guarantee its speed. Assembling ingredients in a line system like burger patties will be able to cook a dozen of it at the same time (Schlosser, 2001, p. 69). Some of the food ingredients only require adding hot water and it’s ready for preparation. Fast foods are usually packed in paper wraps, foil, and cartons. The materials of these wrappings are disposable which suites the people on-the-go to eat the food wherever they are. Despite the convenience brought about by fast food, healthier ingredients are being given up. As previously mentioned, ingredients are frozen which indicates that these are not fresh and devoid of its natural healthy components with much more added fats. Since Americans are busy with work with no time to prepare food for them, fast food becomes the next available fast option. Italians, on the other hand, became the center of what should be a counterpart of fast food. A country rich in culture, its food gained renowned identity throughout the world. Just like in the United States, Italian food is a lifestyle. It is a lifestyle which extends to close interaction with families and friends in a laid-back environment dining and drinking wine (Parasecoli, 2004, p. xii). The relaxed atmosphere among most Italian household can be seen as a break from the political and social unrest that reign the Italian state during history. Italian food is famous for the cheese, the wine, and the pasta. Made from a wide array of sea foods, vegetables, and meat; Italian food is prepared picking up the fresh ingredients and served as a craft of art. Ricotta, for example, is bought by locals straight from a shepherd on the day it is made (Harrison, 1989, p. 17). Italians regard their food not just as an energy provider but as a â€Å"medicine for the soul, one of life’s abiding pleasures† (Harrison, 1989, p. 17). Most of the Italian foods are cooked in accordance with traditions and the food preparation varies from the different regions of Milan and Florence (Harrison, 1989, p. 143). Taking this traditional view of Italian cuisine, a movement was established to retain not just the traditional cooking of the Italians but also all traditional cuisines of the world. The Slow Food movement is originally established as a counterpart of fast food. The idea of this movement is to make food from â€Å"scratch in your own kitchen† (Kummer, Cushner, & Schlosser, 2002, p. 10) rather than the processed artificial food at fast food chains. Just like Italian food, the movement aims to take food as a pleasurable experience offered by life in contrary to fast foods (Pollan, 2008, p. 194). The Slow Movement suggests making food out of ingredients that are ideally grown in the backyard or farms, harvested, and cooked with other natural recipes. The people who eat the foods are not only consumers but co-producers as well. Just like the Italian food, this movement also promotes the pleasure of food eaten and shared communally (Pollan, 2006, p. 259). Though this movement proved to be promising, some may say that in contrast with fast-food, the Slow Food Movement is more expensive to obtain and to do. Since fast-food is more accessible and cheaper, the movement has been tagged as elitist and cannot be afforded by ordinary people (Kummer, et al. , p. 10). By its term of â€Å"slow-food,† this may not suit the lifestyle of most people coming from the working class due to the lack of time for food preparation. United States and Italy vary from the way they live their life with food. Though nowadays, some of their own cuisines have been inspired from one another. Their views of food have a huge gap as the two nations came from different backgrounds and developed cultures that set them apart from each other. Their cuisine style and food preparation became significant in the world today and though different in principles, people enjoy it nonetheless. References Counihan, C. (2002). Food in the USA: A Reader. New York: Routledge. Harrison, B. G. (1989). Italian Days.New York: Atlantic Monthly Press. Kummer, C. , Cusner, S. , & Schlosser, E. (2002). The Pleasures of Slow Food: Celebrating Authentic Traditions, Flavors, and Recipes. USA: Chronicles Books. Parasecoli, F. (2004). Food Culture in Italy. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Pollan, M. (2008). In Defense of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. New York: The Penguin Press. Royle, T. & Towers, B. (2002). Labour Relations in the Global Fast-Food Industry. New York: Routledge. Schlosser, E. (2001). Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal. New York: Houghton Mifflin Books.

Principles And Values That Underpin Health Care Essay

This week I spent time at Kings College hospital in order to understand the ethical considerations of a nurse’s job. â€Å"As a nurse at Kings College Hospital you have to take into account Ethical Considerations†¦Ã¢â‚¬ in my interview with Sister Malcolm we will be discussing ethical considerations like right to life, social justice, person-centred approach, the expectations of individuals receiving the service, empathy, honesty and adherence to codes of practice and policies and seeing how they impact her job. Right to life means the right to live, as a nurse right to life means preserving some one’s life for as long as possible even if they want to die. For example, all nurses and doctors at Kings College hospital should do everything they can to keep a person alive if it’s possible. But things like a ‘DNR’ (do not resuscitate) form make it impossible for a doctor to save someone’s life No doctors would help a person die because it is illegal to have euthanasia in the UK. Some people who wish to end their lives have  gone to Switzerland to end their lives in utter peace. A person-centred approach means an approach to assessment of need that puts the individual at the centre of the process and is based on their views and wishes. For me as a nurse a person-centred approach or as we say ‘patient-centred approach’ means making sure my patient comes first, that they are comfortable system that creates a fair, honest and equal society. As a nurse this means treating all your patients equally as well as colleagues no matter of their ethnicity, religion or culture. For example all patients are included in decisions about their health, such as which hospital they receive their treatment at. Empathy is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another, in my line of work we have to be sympathetic and have empathy towards all our patients no matter our opinion on the situation, whilst being empathetic. At King’s College Hospital the staff must remain professional at all times but  they say that it’s hard not to empathise with some patients especially when you see that they are distressed and don’t know how to deal with a situation. Honesty means the quality of being honest this means at every point and aspect of my job I have to be honest. Doctors have to be completely honest with all their patients as not giving them all the information could put them in danger they have to tell them what the problem is exactly and explain it and they have to inform them of what treatments are available. Adherence to codes of practice and policies this is the foundation of nursing, they are the rules we abide by in order to keep ourselves and our patients safe, this is called safeguarding, the codes of practice are; make your patients your first concern/priority, provide a high standard of practice and care at all times and you must be accountable for your actions, these are the key tools in my profession if I couldn’t abide by these rules then there would be no hope for me. The expectations of individuals receiving the service these are the expectations of which the service provider should deliver as a service user to be treated with respect, to be treated as an individual, to not be discriminated against, to be allowed access to information about themselves, to be able to communicate using their preferred method of communication and language, cared for in a way that meets their needs and takes into account their personal choices. However all patients need to be treated as an individual. This means that they want to be treated as a person and have their needs seen to and not feel like their part of a mass operation, and that their needs aren’t being met. For example making sure a patient receives a meal option suited to their diet. For instance if their vegetarian they are given a vegetarian option. At Kings College Hospital, all service users are allowed to access information about themselves. The Freedom of Information Act states that all patients are allowed access to their personal health records. For example,  if a service user is applying for a job, their GP may be asked to provide details to their new employers to see if they are eligible for the job. All patients are entitled to privacy this is to ensure that they are comfortable at all times, for example if the patient has to change into a gown for examination the nurse/doctor should leave the room to so to protect both the patient and the nurse/doctor, this is also a sign of respect for the patient and it makes them feel like their needs are being met. Communication is another key point between the service user and the service provider patients should be communicated with in their preferred language this will make sure everything runs smoothly and for example if you had someone come in that was hearing-impaired then there should be someone on hand that can sign this make the service user feel like he/she is being cared for and that they have equal opportunities. Both service users and service providers have the right to be in a safe environment and to be protected from any harm; this means that King’s College have an enforced health and safety policy. This outlines the rules and regulations, and the actions that need to be taken if there is an accident. At Kings College hospital support in a way that meets their needs and takes account of their choices is when the service user has enough confidence to express their feelings or share information with the service provider. It is important for service providers to provide active support to help people communicate what their needs are. In order to overcome this, they could provide a questionnaire, for the patient to fill out and give feedback about how the service/treatment they received was and if they received the amount of care that they needed. At Kings College they believe that all patients have the right to be treated in a dignified way this is because they have the right to feel respected and taken care of, if they feel disrespected or vulnerable then they may not want to open up about their medical problem and this may stop them from  receiving the treatment that they need. Disclosure is the passing of information between healthcare professionals, for example your GP passing on information to your hospital doctor so they can give you the right treatment. However if the patient disagrees with this and the nurse still shares the patients information, this is known as breaching confidentiality. This can have a negative impact on not only the service provider but the health care service as a whole. For example as a precaution GP’s are no longer a loud to leave messages on your phone regarding your health. Confidentiality is keeping information private and not disclosing it to anyone else apart from those involved in the patients care. It is key when working with service users within the health and social care sector. However if the doctor/nurse gives out private information about the patient, then there will be serious consequences. This refers to The Requirements of the Freedom of Information Act. This is a legislation that patients have the right to look at information about their selves. Another part of confidentiality is If a person comes to the hospital with bruises and marks on their skin, then the service provider knows that their something wrong. However if the service user tells the nurse/doctor what has been happening and they say that the service provider shouldn’t tell, they will need to tell social services and this can cause tension between rights of patients and the responsibilities of the service provider. Information of patients is kept on computers as well as on paperwork and files. Whichever way the information is stored, it needs to be stored in a safe place, where no one has access to it, that way it remains confidential. They need to make sure that the file can be retrieved when needed. The use of communication to support diversity, inclusion and promote equality of opportunity is important when working in a hospital; this allows the hospital to accommodate for people of all ethnicities, ages, sex etc†¦ this could be posters and signs in different languages to providing food to cater for vegans. This promotes equality amongst the service users because they  feel like their individual preferences and needs are being met. The requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 that all information is securely kept so that that only those that need to access it can because otherwise it would conflict with the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act 2005 this is the freedom for service users to have access to their medical notes if requested at any time, they cannot be withheld. Dealing with tensions between rights and responsibilities is a tough decision to be made by a medical professional; because if a patient comes into the hospital with bruises and tells you that they are being abused and they ask you to keep it a secret then as their healthcare provider you cannot do this even though it’s a breach of patient doctor confidentiality but as a healthcare provider you have to inform the correct authorities so they can take action and this can cause tension between rights and responsibilities. The Importance of accurate recording, storage and retrieval of information (including electronic methods), filing correctly and securely is important in the healthcare service because this is confidential information about individuals, and they have entrusted you with this information, so it should be stored in safe place and be able to be accessed easily by the right individuals if needed. These documents should be filled in a secure facility preferably in more than one place so that if one set is destroyed there is another. It is Important that workers make sure they make accurate recordings and Information on patients is kept on computers as well as on paperwork and files. Provision of active support to enable people who use services to communicate their needs, views and preferences away in which the patient can put their views across is buy putting suggestions in a suggestion box, filling out a questionnaire or posting a complaint if the problem is serious and needs to be dealt with straight away, and offer a resolution for the problem. The hospital will promote equality of opportunity. This means they give everyone the opportunity to voice their opinions in hospitals they have posters and leaflets all around the building in many different languages. Another part of being a nurse means respecting, and treating patients equally and not being discriminated against this is important because we want patients to feel comfortable and like they trust the nurses and doctors who are caring for them, all patients no matter the gender, sexuality, race etc†¦ will be treated equally and receive the same care and support.

Pagan Ritual Versus Catholic and Christian Beliefs - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1634 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2017/09/18 Category Religion Essay Type Argumentative essay Level High school Tags: Catholic Church Essay Catholic Essay Celebration Essay Christianity Essay Did you like this example? Pagan ritual versus Catholic and Christian beliefs Do Catholic and Christian beliefs and holidays have Pagan roots? Pope Gregory 1st said, Converting heathens is easier if they are allowed to retain the outward forms of their traditional Pagan practices and traditions, while recasting those traditions spiritually towards the one true God instead of to their Pagan devils. (Pagan timeline Google para6) Three of eight major Pagan holidays were converted to Christian and Catholic holidays when Christianity spread through Europe. There are many reasons this was done, one was to ensure that the Pagan worshipers would convert to Christianity. They converted the holidays to show the Pagans that they too celebrated what they celebrated and were not all bad. Many of the Pagan Gods followed and were canonized into Saints so that many of the Pagan converts would have names and faces they recognized to worship. This essay will break down the three major Pagan holidays and compare them to the Christian counter parts. Then it will show the similarities between two Pagan Gods and two Catholic Saints. Pagan, Christian, and Catholic holidays Starting on the Pagan calendar Samhain is the first holiday and celebrated on October 31st. This holiday celebrates the final harvest of the year when all things die. Samhain is related with death and the tales tell of the spirits of the dead coming back to visit. Customs were to set out small feasts for dead loved ones made of small cakes and wine, carving squash and turnips with symbols to ward off the evil spirits and let the good spirits know that they were welcome to visit. Christians converted this holiday into All Hollows Eve or Halloween; in later years it was associated with carving pumpkins, bobbing for apples, playing pranks, and dressing up as ghouls and goblins. Catholics in the Ninth Century often wondered from house to house asking for soul cakes, because the day after All Hollows Eve was known as All Soul Day . Upon receiving the soul cakes, which were plain bread cakes topped with currants, the Catholics would offer to say a prayer for the souls of the family members that had passed the previous year. This tradition in later years became great fun as trick-or-treating for candies and toys became popular. The prayers for the dead associated with begging for goodies slowly died away. The second holiday on the Pagan calendar is Yule celebrated on December 21-25. Yule was a celebration of the beginning of winter. Yule was a celebration of the conception of light. While the God of light hid from the world his seed was planted in the womb of the Goddess and as the days lengthened it was believed that the god was growing and preparing to bring renewal to the lands and crops. Christians celebrate Christmas as the miraculous conception and birth of Jesus. Both Pagan and Christians celebrate this holiday with great feasts and spending time with family. Decorations and candles were used for the celebration. Pagans often burned a Yule log which was often a log from a conifer tree, these trees proved that life could last throughout the darkest days of winter and were ever self-renewing. Christians decorated the trees instead of burning them. In later years the process of handing out gifts to family members was incorporated into the feast of the holiday. Popular belief is that Candlemas was another word for Christmas and there for Yule and Candlemas were celebrated on the same day. This however is not true Candlemas is associated with the Pagan holiday of Imboloc and celebrated on January 31st to February 2nd. These two holidays are associated with the Goddess Brighid and Saint Brigid; we will get to that later. The third holiday of the Pagan calendar to be discussed is Ostara and it is celebrated on March 20th-21st. This holiday is associated with growth and the spring’s arrival. It is believed that during this time the Goddess of life awakens from the clutc hes of death and brings with her the revival of the crops. One of the most recognizable symbols of this holiday is the egg, which for Pagans symbolize the rebirth of nature, the yolk of the egg the color of the sun which brings warmth to the land and allows all things to live again. For Christians and Catholics this holiday comes in the form of Easter associated with Jesus rising from the dead to renew hope and faith. In later years the egg has been connected with Easter and many spend time decorating them with bright colors of spring. Pagan Gods and Catholic Saints The two Pagan Gods that this paper is going to compare to Catholic Saints are the Goddess Brighid and the God Dagda. Their Catholic counter parts are Saint Brigit and Saint Patrick, both are Irish Saints and Irish Pagan Deities. The Goddess Brighid is known as the Goddess of fire and healing. The name Brighid comes from the Celtic root Brig which means exalted. The Goddess Brighid was worshiped as the Goddess of sprin g and associated with the renewal of life after winter. She is associated with fire and the Sun. Brighid’s holiday was Imboloc celebrated on February 1st. Brighid was worshiped in Ireland manly around the South East where a shrine built for her was attended by a devote group of an all-female priesthood. Her shrine had an ever lit flame that was attended to by her priestesses and surrounding the shrine were wells of water that only the priestesses could drink from. It is often said that Brighid was a midwife to other Goddesses. As Christianity came to Ireland the Catholic Church took over the land of Brighid’s shrine and used it as a shrine to Saint Brigit, this shrine was tended to by nuns who followed Saint Brigit. Saint Brigit was the Irish Catholic Saint of healing and the wells around the shrine were said to have healing waters. Saint Brigit was said to be the midwife to the Virgin Mary at the birth of Jesus Christ. Saint Brigit was said to have been born at the first light of dawn on the night between winter and spring February 1st, and because of this she was associated with the sun and the coming of the morning. For Saint Brigit this day has become known as Candlemas Celebrated on February 1st. Both the Goddess Brighid and Saint Brigit are known for the art of healing, midwifery, and associated with spring. The holiday for both the Goddess Brighid and Saint Brigit is usually celebrated by lighting candles on the window seals which represents the light of the rising sun which melts the frost off the panes of glass symbolizing the coming of spring and the retreat of winter. The second Pagan God and Catholic Saint is the God Dagda and Saint Patrick. The God Dagda, like the Goddess Brighid, is an Irish Pagan God. The God Dagda is called the Good God or The Father God. As a symbol of manhood The God Dagda was represented by snakes, because in pagan tradition snakes were a symbol of the earth and the male life force. The God Dagda is known for his battle against the Fomorians an ancient tribe of giants that terrorized the land of Ireland. After a fierce battle Dagda chased the Fomorians from Ireland. Saint Patrick, though born in Roman England, was thought of as the true Irish Saint. Saint Patrick spent time in a monastery in Rome and it is said that one night he had a dream that Ireland was calling for him, wanting him to teach the land about God. Saint Patrick went to Ireland with the blessing of the Catholic Church to spread the word of God. As he traveled through Ireland preaching the word of God, he was met with great upheaval among the Celtic Pagans that were not easily converted to the new religion. There was a conflict between the newly converted and the Pagans, many who practiced paganism went into hiding and blended in to the newly growing society. This was depicted as Saint Patrick chasing the snakes from Ireland. The snakes in this case represented the pagan worshipers. It is easy to make the comparison of the God Dagda and Saint Patrick, both are associated with chasing evil from the land of Ireland. The God Dagda and Saint Patrick are both associated with snakes in some way. Do Catholic and Christian beliefs and holidays have Pagan roots? Three of the eight major Pagan holidays were fused with Christian and Catholic beliefs changing the God or Saints that were associated with each and changing the reason each festival was held; but the important pieces were not lost. Two of the most important Gods to Irish Pagans were converted and Canonized into two of the most important Saints for the Irish Catholics. In effect it can be said that Paganism, Christianity, and Catholicism each have the same beliefs and holidays, but they have their own ways of being viewed and followed. ? Reference and Citation page Broome, F. (2008). Celtic Magick Yule History- Pagan and early Christian. Celtic Magick. Retrieved from https://celticmagick. com/yule-history-pagan/ Google. (n. d). Google Pagan timeline. Retrieved from https://www. google. com/search? q=pagan+timelinehl=enrls=com. microsoft:en-us:IE-SearchBoxrlz=1I7ACAW_enUS361US361tbs=tl:1tbo=uei=F3GuS5iHIILGlQfnubSRAQsa=Xoi=timeline_resultct=titleresnum=11ved=0CC4Q5wIwCg Graves, R. (1966). The White Goddess. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. Hayden, L. (2009). Who is Brighid? Suite 101. Retrieved from https://paganismwicca. suite101. com/article. cfm/who_is_brighid Nock, J. A. (2007). The Wiccan Year. Avon, MA: Provenance Press Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Pagan Ritual Versus Catholic and Christian Beliefs" essay for you Create order